Is this too good to be true?

[frosty]

Will my dream of owning one of M-B's top-of-the-line car come true? I was browsing CL out of boredom and sorta "window shopping" to see what cars are out there. I find this and am so tempted! I know there is a a big scratch, but the ad says "runs and drives beautifully"!

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/car/718793185.html

[TylerH860]

probably, too little information.

[JimFreeh]

V-6 engine?


Yea, it's cheap, but with the body damage, the fact it has over 100K miles, and a six, it's on the low side, but not an absolute steal.

I'll bet there's lots of little things wrong that will quickly add up.

Probably better to spend more up front and get a better car....

Jim

[donbryce]

A huge part of this decision, IMO, is the 'infatuation' factor (remember your first true love, heart beating every time you looked at her, etc?), and how much of the work you can and are willing to do yourself. Believe me, at that price, you WILL be looking at bodywork and mechanical. If you have to hire it out, I'd pass and wait for a buy that is less likely to need $attention.
On the other hand, I paid less than half what a comperable SL in my area would've cost me, got a car that I fell in love with at first sight, and am now into the 2nd thousand$ of restoration work, and I consider this a 'driver' or 'road car'. It was, simply put, sadly neglected by several previous owners. I can and do all my own bodywork and mechanical, and I'm retired with lots of time (but not so much money, hence my caveat above).
Best to wait until the excitement dies down a bit, you don't want to get a divorce from her too soon, then get to know the owner to try and pinpoint potential trouble. Read up here on the top mechanism and its problems, as well as anything else related to the specific model. Good luck!

[neds380sl]

Frosty- What the heck? Take a close look at it, and if it's not all beat up, buy it. Make certain everything works, or if it doesn't, go home, cool down, check out what you think the repair prices might be, then rethink it. Seems strangely low priced to me, but it might be a bargain. Good luck. Ned

[JPMOSE]

Frosty....by all means don't be impulsive! There are a lot of a SL bargains lately due to rising fuel costs. Many people get sour on the car hobby when everyday expenses suddenly increase! I would have the car checked out by a Mercedes mechanic (your choice, not the owner of the car) and let them assess the problems. The R129 chassis can add up in costs rapidly (worse than an R107). Look at Ebay and search the COMPLETED cars and see what they are selling for. There are a lot listed at high prices but very few selling at reserves.

[lkchris]

A guy that doesn't want to pay the $500 deductable to get the bodywork fixed is questionable.

Or, a guy without collision insurance is questionable.

Of course your insurance isn't going to pay for it so what's "too good to be true?"

Ignore the negatives about the V6, as it's just fine.

The W129 is a car with a lot of electronics and one can easily ruin a $5000 convertible top control box simply by a battery jump mistake--see if the guy is upstanding enough to let you get a PPI. From a dealer, of course.

[POS]

I say there's something hidden about that car - you'd have to investigate to find out what that is.

[Mistress]

Move along, move along. There are other SL's in the universe.

[riorust]

If you are close..check it out. A lot of folks in LA consider a 1992, damn near an antique. If the guy is asking $4800.00 he probably feels it is worth $4000.00, and with comprehensive insurance costing what it does in LA, maybe he just went with liability and the scrape may not be covered.

It is possible this could be the deal of the year, considering the "car culture" mindset in LA. I won't hurt to look. I would sure want a PPI on the car.I should have prefaced this post with the statement ....I'm an eternal optimist...and yes it has cost me a bundle.

At least the phone number is a landline (did a reverse look up - unlisted with no address), rather than a cell (curb stoner alert).

Good Luck, I've always wanted one of those.

[plink49]

The term "needs TLC" is always a red flag! Usually it means there are unknown cosmetic and/or mechanical ills to be dealt with.

[frosty]

Thanks, guys, for the pointers. Yeah, I was a bit afraid that it might be a "too good to be true" thing. Usually that model year goes for at least $10k. However, riorust does have a point about LA's material world attitutude toward cars, something that I've not really considered. Maybe this seller is the "keeping up with the Jones" sorta person, and if he or she has money to burn and is just selling this car for the down payment or just for "change," then this could be a steal. Ah, but reality must sink in and the cost of major repairs due to neglect or abuse scares me. I guess it's best to spend a little more and get an SL that will make owning one fun and not depressing. Ah, such a sexy car! As mistress said, there are other SL models, perhaps even better ones, out there.

[bwostosh]

They do not respect these cars (if used) in LA
New is better, to the normal "I wanna be seen inna Mercedes mentality" I bought many cars at that price with that mileage. Example, 300CE with perfect maintenance record 264,000miles, $2,500, 380SL beautiful perfect $4,500 with 2k sound system and Loriser wheels, and cheaper, W111 coupes $1,100, W109 4.5 (free), W109 6.3 $3,000, on and on, Check out Auto Trader in Southern California. Europeans are shipping these cheap cars out daily through Long Beach / San Pedro harbor.
Check this $500 deal FS: 280 C W123 1979 so. cal.
How about a beautiful 560SEC for $4,500?
I'm going to check a 350SL next week on LA
My Swiss friends are coming over in July to buy, same with the Norse guy.